What a weekend...

"Whew" - not sure how to spell that, but it's that sigh of weary relief.

We had a busy, fun (and sun) filled weekend in the Student Ministries.

Saturday we hosted our pre-summer, high school "Beach Bash" @ Pompano Beach. It was a blast!!! We had a good number of students show up for the fun and festivities. We played volleyball, beach football, swam and just hung out together. Derek and Kaitlin Kelmanson were our grill masters for the day; so it was inevitable that the burgers, dogs and hot-wings would turn out to be so amazing! Also, a number of our leadership team showed up to meet new students, grab a bite to eat and soak up some beautiful south Florida sun.

So, from all the Student Ministries staff, we'd like to just thank all of you who came out. We hope you had as much fun as we did :)

Sunday boasted another great time of learning and laughter in Sunday school. Dylan again taught the high school group and I took those wonderful, rowdy middle schoolers. We talked about friendships; how they're important and upon what foundation they are to be built.

We looked at numerous passages of Scripture talking about the importance of choosing friends carefully and wisely because they help to shape who we become. Our friends play a huge part in our lives, influencing us for either good or bad. Thus, it is extremely vital that we choose our friends with the utmost care and concern.

We then talked about how to treat the good friends we have. We noted that Jesus laid down His life for His friends and subsequently calls us to do the same (John 15:12-14). However, this doesn't necessarily mean that we have to lay our physical lives down for our friends; although some may one day be called to that. We talked about what it looks like in our everyday life to love our friends like Jesus loves us; to lay our lives down for them. We noted that it means we are to love our friends sacrificially; seeking their good and well-being above our own. We are to take into account our friends feelings, issues and ideas above our own. Our lives need to be an encouragement for our friends, as well as a challenge when they are in the wrong. For if we are truly to be the disciples of Jesus, he tells us that the world will recognize us as such by "our love for one another" (John 13:35).

Thus, it is our sacrificial, all encompassing love for our friends that will be a tip off to the watching world that we are disciples of Jesus Christ.

"So no faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love." (1 Cor. 13:13)

For His Kingdom...